For over three years, I’ve been writing for this site. For over three years, I’ve been writing Friday Recommendations. It’s actually the first weekly column the site has ever started, which explains the incredibly creative name, and it will be a staple article on the website until I am no longer a member. I love doing the article; it’s actually one of my favorites, and I love pointing out comics that I enjoy reading and sharing them with others. That is — in no shorter terms — the reason this website exists: there are no ulterior motives than enjoying comics and wanting to share that enjoyment with others.
That said? Sometimes it’s a bit difficult to decide what to write about here.
Look — there are a lot of great comics. There are a lot of comics that deserve spotlights. I have so many comics in my own collection that I would recommend to anyone and everyone to varying degrees and in various heartbeats, and I’m happy to loan trades out to friends or invite them over to browse through my single issues and read the ones they fancy. But, after three years of going out to my collection and looking at books to decide what to recommend that week, I’ll admit that I’m not sure what I’d like to recommend this week now that it’s my turn. Part of this is me reading a series of novels currently, but part of it is that Friday Recommendation has currently showcase over a hundred and fifty amazing titles already, let alone what this website showcases in general on a daily basis — and I just don’t know what to talk about!
So I’m going to subvert my own system, make up some new rules, do what I want and recommend a whole bunch of books at once. In my home I break up my collection of trades by publisher per shelf, so I’m going to recommend one current ongoing series from each publisher that gets a whole shelf.
Sound fair? Sound fun? Let’s do this!
Vertigo — The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross
First off, yes, I know Vertigo is an imprint, not a publisher. My house, my rules — and boy, do I own a lot of Vertigo trades/hardcovers. But anyway.
This was a tough one. The Vertigo line is one of the finest in comics, and they’re very consistent in their output. However, when looking at the comics that they produce that I currently purchase, their is one series that consistently hops to the top of my read pile any week it comes out, no matter how high that pile may be. “The Unwritten” is as smart and sharp as they come, telling the story of the wayward Tom Taylor discovering his history and destiny in a literary odyssey of tremendous proportion, and the way that the story has evolved since it began a few years ago is astounding. Easily one of the most consistent and powerful reads of any given month, as a fan of classic literature it’s very hard to be better than the journey Carey and Gross have taken readers along.
Plus, those Mr. Bun issues are high-larious!
Runners up: Sweet Tooth, American Vampire
DC — Batman Inc, by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham
Honestly, DC in it’s current iteration is pretty much one giant disappointment. The New 52 “affected” everyone, and it without a doubt changed buying habits for long-term readers for better or worse. For me, it was easily for worse, as I have never bought less comics from the company in my life (except when I didn’t buy comics, I guess?) — but one major constant in my pull for the past few years has been Grant Morrison’s run on Batman.
Now, I’m open in admitting that all things considered, I don’t like Batman. I find him to be a dull (and currently gimmicky) character, with far too many books that feature far too little content. And yet, as Morrison’s grandiose Batman story comes to it’s final year, I can’t help but look back in awe at the way the story has evolved over time. To see the bevy of artists who have brought their talent to the pages, to see the journey that Bruce and his extended family have gone on, this truly is the definitive story of The Bat-Man in my eyes. I’ve never found a story about the character this enthralling, this endearing, this e-anything before, and as much disdain as I have for DC in other comics they produce “Batman Inc” remains the book I get excited for constantly and without fail.
Continued belowThat and Chris Burnham’s art will get me to buy anything.
Runners up: Wonder Woman, Batwoman
Marvel — Journey into Mystery, by Kieron Gillen and Doug Braithwaite, Richard Elson, Mitch Breitweiser and Carmine Di Giandomenico
I’ve written quite a lot about “Journey Into Mystery” for this site in the past here, and while I said almost everything I could possibly have thought to say most of it bears repeating.
“Journey Into Mystery” is a book so full of heart that it oozes from the seams. It’s fun, it’s quick witted, it’s an intricate web of comic book storytelling and it’s one of the most consistently underrated books Marvel produces. Telling the story of Loki reborn, seeking some form of redemption and making his way through the world as only he knows how, this book has evolved from “just a side-title” to the book to be reading at the House of Ideas.
Currently everything is burning, with but one issue of the book left for Kieron Gillen’s run. As it stands, I’m not sure if anything else Kieron does at Marvel will ever be better than this — and I mean that as a compliment. It’s a wonderful run on the most unexpected of titles, and you can be sure that I will follow Gillen as a writer to the ends of the Earth on any Marvel book he fancies writing based entirely on his performance with Kid Loki in this title.
(If “Phonogram” hadn’t already solidified this, “Journey Into Mystery” would’ve.)
Runners up: Uncanny X-Force, Thunderbolts/Dark Avengers
Dark Horse — BPRD, by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Tyler Cook
Dark Horse is full of fantastic comics, and part of me feels like picking this title is a bit like cheating on an exam (it is “the easy answer” a bit, isn’t it?), but never the less: “BPRD” blows me away consistently.
I was a big fan of “Hellboy,” but when he died I found a Mignola-sized hole in my heart. I decided at some point to fill that hole by going back and reading “BPRD”, which I had for whatever reason never picked up before (I think it was the amount of issues I’d missed, truth be told), and I ended up devouring 80 issues in the span of a weekend after buying a couple omnibi and some trades. I just could not put these books down; each subsequent issue and chapter was practically a lesson in comic storytelling, bursting with intricately sown seeds and chock full of character development. It’s a book accessible to almost everyone: those that want to read superhero comics find something similar to the X-Men, those that don’t want superheroes find an action thriller about an elite squad of monster hunters, those in it for horror get a title bursting with monsters and terrors, etc. It’s one of the few books that transcends most known tropes about the medium, and the talents that have graced the series in one-shots and one-off stories is to die for.
“BPRD” is as big a series as they come, but with a cast as large as this title has you’d be hard pressed to find another book that so perfectly balances the importance of the character alongside the fate of the universe. This is the team book on the stands right now, and to not be reading it is to openly have disdain for comic books.
Yes, I’m absolutely going to make that hyperbolic statement.
Once again, I’ve already written quite a bit more about this book, should you be so inclined.
Runners up: The Massive, Mind MGMT
Image — Morning Glories, by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma
Oh, big surprise, right? The guy who co-writes a monthly analysis of every issue of “Morning Glories” picks “Morning Glories” as is his number one comic from Image!
Yeah, well, for good reason: this comic is fantastic. With sharp as nails storytelling and pitch-perfect artwork, “Morning Glories” is easily my favorite read every month. Telling the story of students at an academy that goes beyond the dictionary definition of bizarre, Nick and Joe have been weaving a web so tangled that sitting and attempting to glean meaning from the smallest details of any given panel is half the fun of this book. Truly, very few books provide as engrossing a read or a comic that provides so much bang for your buck; this is a book that demands you pay attention, that leaves no other option but to read every issue multiple times. It’s a series so beautifully self-contained to it’s own mythology that it’s inherently giving birth to a brand new one of it’s own — and not for nothing, but the amount of time I’ve spent researching references in both the writing and art have opened me up to whole new things of this world that I would’ve never thought to previously explore in the realm of science, history, mythology, philosophy and more.
Continued belowThat’s what you want from a monthly read. You want a book that engages you on the same level that you engage it, and “Morning Glories” is an entirely unique experience on that front.
Again, to no surprise, I’ve within quite a lot about “Morning Glories,” should you be interested in a more in-depth write-up.
Runners up: Orc Stain, Manhattan Projects
IDW — Locke and Key, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
How do I put this in a way that I haven’t already?
Imagine that you’re walking along a path, one that you’re somewhat familiar with. Maybe you’ve driven by a nature trail a few times, maybe you’ve just always heard of a nice hiking area that you want to check out but you haven’t before. You finally come along this path, and find that it’s a steady climb up an evenly slanted hill in a beautiful area of wherever you live. The air smells wonderful, the temperature is just right, and you’re taking in all the sights and sounds of the world that you live in, loving every second of it. Then some sort of monstrous creature flies out of the trees at you, attacks you ferociously and leaves you alive but incapacitated, breathless and conscious but utterly destroyed.
That’s “Locke and Key.”
When I first picked up the title, I thought it would be just a solid horror book. I assumed that, with the praise it was getting, it would be a good comic in a sea of other good comics that I read. But no, this wasn’t a good comic — this was a great comic. This was, and is, one of the absolute best. It’s more than a horror book; this is a huge, century-spanning saga of nightmares, in which the comic book medium is used as an example for just how vivid some horrors can be. It’s the story of a family, out of their environment and almost out of time — both for their lives and that of the world that surrounds them. And as the series evolves throughout the issues to the point we’re currently at, it only gets worse until — by the end of the fourth and fifth volumes? — you are left with an overwhelming feeling of dread sitting at the pit of your stomach that weighs you down and leaves you a bit unnerved.
I’m terrified to read the finale, and I’m not afraid to admit that.
Would it surprise you to learn I’ve written a lot about “Locke and Key” as well? It wouldn’t? Well here’s a write-up in which I compare “Locke and Key” to crack. I’ve said enough. Jut check out the books.
Runners up: Smoke and Mirrors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Finally, and certainly with the “last but not least” mentality, we come to my last shelf, that of the mysterious “Other.” I certainly love comics, but on occasion there are a few publishers that I read whose books I buy that don’t take up enough space to warrant their own shelf; publishers like Top Shelf, Archaia, Oni and Pantheon end up sharing space, especially when compared with other shelves. And yet, there is no loss of love from me to them, which brings me to my favorite book from a publisher not mentioned above:
Other — The Sixth Gun, by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt
I was hesitant to read “the Sixth Gun” at first. I grew up watching westerns with my father, and on principal I’m often doubtful of any new book or movie to come out in that genre. I hate to sound like a prude, but I feel that modern culture has moved past the point where a new western can come out to stand alongside that which has come before, like “the Magnificent Seven” or “High Noon.”
And yet, “the Sixth Gun” isn’t just a western. Truth be told, it’s not really just anything; “the Sixth Gun” is it’s own beast. Part horror, part mystery, part action, part thriller and yes, part western, this is a book that explores so many genres that it is slowly coming up with it’s own. We’re long past the point where we can compare “the Sixth Gun” to anything but itself, and that’s one of the biggest compliments I can think of. With top notch artwork and a great story, “The Sixth Gun” follows the adventures of those trying to ascertain a power beyond comprehension that is devilishly encapsulated into six guns. Moving along at a break-neck pace and constantly reinventing itself, “the Sixth Gun” is one of the best books out today, and certainly my favorite of Oni.
Continued belowTruth be told, it was actually the recent silent issue that really got me to love this series. If I can take a moment to sidetrack, I have a terrible fondness for silent issues. Those are the type of books that really show how a title can survive, with the absolute inter-connectivity of the creative team shown in the best of ways. Some writers tend to over-write and skewer scenes with exposition, some artists tend to play fast and loose with some details within a panel, but when you get a silent issue of a book it’s like seeing the comic at it’s most raw. This is the writer and the artist working in unity with a vivid singular purpose, truly getting to heart of the matter and displaying what I love about the sequential art medium of storytelling. “The Sixth Gun’s” silent issue, #21, did all that and more.
But you have 20 issues to read before you can share in that experience. Better get to it.
Runners up: Adventure Time, Extermination
There you have it. I’ve thrown out a lot of hyperbole and gotten playful with a write-up or two, but this is an article I’ve wanted to write for quite some time with no clear idea of how to do it. Having gotten to this point, I think it’s obvious I still don’t have much of a clue — but hopefully you’ve grabbed a book or two from this list that you haven’t already been reading.
Enjoy your comics.
